An optical node (e.g., a node in a dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) optical communications system) may be capable of achieving colorless, directionless, contentionless (CDC) add/drop. Colorless add/drop refers to wavelength flexibility of the optical node that allows any wavelength (i.e., “color”) to be added/dropped on any add/drop port of the optical node. Directionless add/drop refers to directional flexibility of the optical node that allows an added channel to be routed to any direction served by the optical node, or incoming channels from any direction served by the optical node to be routed to a given drop port. Contentionless add/drop refers to port flexibility of the optical node that allows multiple add/drop ports of the optical node to transmit or receive channels of the same wavelength. In such a CDC optical node, multiple wavelengths may be switched to multiple fiber directions, and multiple wavelength channels of the same wavelength can be concurrently routed between a transmitter/receiver of the optical node and a target outgoing/inbound optical fiber of the optical node. Thus, the CDC-capable optical node may have increased flexibility and/or operational simplicity as compared to an optical node that cannot achieve CDC add/drop.